The use of plastic has overwhelmed the world’s ecosystem with the great mounds of plastic deposits covering large parts of the oceans around the world. Human waste is choking up the earth’s resources, and all the other lives on the planets are gradually moving towards extinction. With the advancement of time, humans are progressively becoming more and more aware of the planet’s future and the ways how they are affecting it.
Carbon footprint is a word gradually more visible and heard around us, and scientists worldwide are coming up with innovative solutions to lower the collective footprint. These innovations are progressively helping the world combat immense pollution and help humans lead a more sustainable lifestyle. Below are a few of the best eco-friendly innovations that can be useful in leading a sustainable lifestyle.
The Growing Shoe
The Growing Shoe demonstrates how one individual may make a significant effect. Kenton Lee was neither a designer nor a creator. But he had an epiphany when he observed a little child in Kenya wearing shoes that were way too tiny for her. What if he could create a shoe that grew with children in impoverished countries? That’s what he did. Lee collaborated with the Oregon-based shoe design firm Proof Of Concept to create a robust sneaker that could last youngsters up to five years and five sizes. Because the shoes are lightweight and easy to carry, they may benefit hundreds of youngsters from a single shipment.
Eco-Friendly Burial Pods
This is one of the best innovations that have graced mankind in recent years. It is based on the idea of the circle of life where your body returns to the environment. Your body is placed in the fetal position before being wrapped in a biodegradable, egg-shaped sack. The tree of your choice is then planted atop your burial egg. The egg’s ingredients nourish the tree, and in the afterlife, you’ve become a tree. Cemeteries will be transformed into holy woods where your loved ones may cultivate your memory in a floral paradise.
So, how does it aid in the preservation of the environment? A tree must be felled for a coffin to be made. It only serves a role for a few days before being thrown into the ground. As you may be aware, trees are critical to maintaining good air quality around us.
Eco-Friendly Lights
Over in France, a company has created an algae-powered streetlight. The battery, like the algae bulb, is fueled by photosynthesis, which means it does not require energy to function. Every year, the street lamp absorbs one ton of carbon. Thus, one algal street lamp would absorb more carbon than 96,000 trees, with one tree absorbing 48 pounds of carbon each year.
We may not be able to live under the water for the time being, but algae may be the ocean’s hidden powerhouse. Aside from being used to make green biofuels, algae can also be utilized to make light bulbs! Gyula Bodonyi, a designer, invented the algaebulb, which utilizes algae to power an LED light. It not only produces light, but it also absorbs dangerous carbon dioxide and expels it as oxygen. Apart from eco-friendly lights, there is also a sustainable breaker design available in the market that is safe to use and durable at the same time. Click here for more information.
Shoe Made From Plastic Wastes in the Ocean
Adidas utilized a 3D printer to manufacture these running shoes out of trash drifting in the ocean. This is a great approach to wipe out the floating plastic garbage island in the Atlantic, collaborating with Parley For The Oceans. This technique also produces footwear without using sweatshops and reduces the usage of other environmentally harmful industrial practices.
The Impossible Burger
You’ve probably heard of the Impossible Burger, which is catching the globe by storm with its tasty beef substitute. While vegetarian burgers are tasty, they pale in comparison to the Impossible Burger. However, you are not missing out because they taste exactly like beef. The key is DNA taken from soy plants – with a bit of work, and they can reproduce the beef sensation without using any meat.
So, how exactly does this benefit the environment? Grazing presently occupies 45 percent of the planet’s habitable surface. These animals contribute to carbon emissions; therefore, substituting them with a meat-free alternative would considerably cut pollution.
Just Mayo
Animal husbandry accounts for 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions, which is more than all transportation combined. Therefore, replacing animal proteins with plant-based proteins can have a significant influence on ozone layer preservation.
Hampton Creek, a technological firm, creates Just Mayo. Hampton Creek is investigating ways to use global plant proteins to make food healthier, cheaper, and, of course, more sustainable. They created software that searches through over 400,000 plant proteins from around the world and compares the protein to a less-than-ecological alternative. For example, their main product, Just Mayo, uses Canadian Yellow Peas instead of eggs!
Eco-Friendly Coffee Cup
Back in the day, polystyrene cups were a significant source of pollution. Polystyrene never degrades. Therefore a cup used for twenty minutes will last till the end of time. Needless to say, it is disastrous for the environment. Fortunately, polystyrene has gradually being phased out of the food sector — but this small cup takes recycling to a whole new level.
Reduce. Reuse. Grow. is a California-based company that promised to transform rubbish into treasure. Using innovative technology, they’ve designed a coffee cup with seeds implanted in it. After you’ve finished drinking from it, you plant it and watch it grow into a tree.
Final Words
All of these innovations including various kinds of eco-friendly insulation accessories make our lives so much better. However, as humans are becoming more and more conscious about the world they live in, they slowly realize that there might not be a future for the next generation. With the decline of natural resources and surging prices, the earth is gradually turning into an unlivable planet. Farming and almost all other human activities are depleting resources at an alarming rate, and it is high time that we start looking at alternate methods of survival that do not affect the environment so much.
